Jung Ho Kang is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault in Chicago. But he has not yet been charged with a crime.
And as long as he hasn't been charged with a crime, he shouldn't be suspended, put on the reserve list or be treated any differently by the Pirates than he was last week or the week before.
There is a huge difference between being investigated for a crime and being charged with a crime. If, after a thorough investigation, it is determined that there is enough evidence to charge Kang with a crime, then, and only then, the game changes.
The rush to judgment in these cases is not usually fair, and it is not usually the product of anything else but outsiders' desire to grandstand.
We don't know what happened, and we don't know what the truth is. Until the police uncover enough evidence to charge Kang, we shouldn't try to guess either. And neither should the Pirates, Major League Baseball or any sports league, for that matter.
The standard should be simple: Unless there are charges filed in any of these cases, there shouldn't be a suspension of any type.
I know there are some cases, such as Mike Vick's dog-fighting ring, when authorities make it pretty clear to the league that charges are coming. That's a different ballgame. In that case, they knew federal charges were coming that Vick wasn't going to be able to beat, so they got out ahead of the game.
Unless it is a case like that _ or like Ben Roethlisberger in 2010, when the league handed out a suspension as much for a pattern of behavior than for any single alleged incident _ the standard should be simple: no charges, no suspension.
This would help on two fronts. It would help leagues because their response would be simple. Players would also understand that if they get charged with a crime, they will be suspended.
This is a serious matter. It shouldn't be handled lightly. Only two people know what happened in this case. I don't know, and as of right now, the police aren't even sure. So why do so many people seem to be so sure they know?
Kang should be allowed to play as long as this is still an investigation. If he is charged, he should be suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the legal situation. If he is found innocent or the charges are dropped, then his suspension ends. That's how these things should be handled. If they were all handled uniformly, it would benefit everybody involved because there'd be no questions about any of these league's stances on their players getting in trouble.
Kang may or may not be charged with a crime. If he is, he should sit, but until then he should be free to play.
